The Tibetan sandgrouse (''Syrrhaptes tibetanus'') is a large
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the
sandgrouse
Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family (biology), family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two Genus, genera. The two central Asian species are classified as ''Sy ...
family. The genus name ''Syrrhaptes'' is from
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
''surrhaptos'', "sewn together" (the feathered toes of this sandgrouse are fused together) and ''tibetanus'' is from the
type locality,
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
.
Description
The Tibetan sandgrouse is about 30–41 cm long, with a small,
pigeon-like head and neck, but sturdy compact body. It has long pointed wings and pin tail. It has an orange face, finely barred grey breast, neck and crown, white belly and black underwings. Male has unspotted buff wing while the female has barred wing coverts, upperparts and upper belly than the male. Juvenile lacks the tail pin, has narrower barrings and has less orange on the face. White belly and dark underwings are distinctions from the related
Pallas's sandgrouse
Pallas's sandgrouse (''Syrrhaptes paradoxus'') is a medium to large bird in the sandgrouse family.
Naming
Marco Polo mentions a bird called ''Bargherlac'' (from Turkmen ''bağırlak'') in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', published around 1300. ...
, with which its range overlaps.
[ As with that species, its small feet lack a hind toe, and the three front toes are fused together. The upper surface is feathered, and the underneath has a fleshy pad. The appearance of the foot is more like a paw than an avian foot.]
Taxonomy and systematics
Currently considered monotypic. Birds from the Pamirs were earlier separated as race ''pamirensis''. The species was first described by Gould in 1850 based on specimen from Tso-Morriri in Ladakh.
Distribution and status
Tibetan sandgrouse is found in mountains ranges of Central Asia, Tibet, Central China and the Himalayas. Though the population is decreasing, due to the large range and low rate of population decrease, the species is classified as "Least Concern" by IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
.
Behaviour and ecology
Tibetan sandgrouse is found on barren sandy plains near water. They are gregarious and form loose flocks. Their flight is fast and direct and on the wings, a clanging double note is uttered repeatedly. Flocks fly noisily to watering holes at dawn and dusk, usually the former, though less regular than other sandgrouse.[ They forage in the morning and afternoon on the undulating semi-desert plains. While foraging, their movements are fast and rapid. During the middle of the day it squats in a small depression in the ground, basking in the sun. They are generally not wary, especially in the middle of the day during resting.]
This species breeds from May to June on the arid stony plateau and ridges, the nest site generally chosen near the top of the ridge on the leeward side. Its nest is a ground scrape in which three pale brown elliptical eggs with cryptic markings are laid. Generally the nest is exposed, though occasionally could be protected by a stone or grass.[ The young ones are able to move around soon after hatching. They move around with the flock. When threatened, adults resort to ]distraction display
Distraction displays, also known as diversionary displays, or paratrepsis are anti-predator behaviors used to attract the attention of an enemy away from something, typically the nest or young, that is being protected by a parent. Distraction disp ...
s, while the chicks crouch and freeze.
They feed on seeds, grass, buds and legumes.
References
External links
Photos, Videos
* ''Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse'' by Madge and McGowan,
Photographs from Oriental Bird Images
{{Taxonbar, from=Q127890
Tibetan sandgrouse
The Tibetan sandgrouse (''Syrrhaptes tibetanus'') is a large bird in the sandgrouse family. The genus name ''Syrrhaptes'' is from Ancient Greek ''surrhaptos'', "sewn together" (the feathered toes of this sandgrouse are fused together) and ''tib ...
Birds of Tibet
Tibetan sandgrouse
The Tibetan sandgrouse (''Syrrhaptes tibetanus'') is a large bird in the sandgrouse family. The genus name ''Syrrhaptes'' is from Ancient Greek ''surrhaptos'', "sewn together" (the feathered toes of this sandgrouse are fused together) and ''tib ...